Stair anchor



June 19, 1956 J, M WHn-E 2,750,621

STAIR ANCHOR Filed Oct. 2, 1952 ATTORNEY United States Patent STAIR ANCHOR Joseph M. White, Yorktown Village, Md.

Application October 2, 1952, Serial No. 312,782

3 Claims. (Cl. 16-10) This invention. relates to attachments or fasteners used in the installation of carpet to stairways, and particularly of a type to be used in homes, stores, theaters, hotels, churches and other places where there is a maximum of wear on the stairway and where neatness of installation and appearance are of vital importance.

Many difficulties have occurred in laying stairway carpeting with conventional types of fasteners, either marginal or solid coverings. Most of these out-moded constructions required the use of nails, staples or tacks with the resultant tearing and eventual loosening of the carpet.

Even though later types of known carpet fasteners have been designed to overcome these problems, they have failed to present a completely satisfactory finished carpet edging. Further, where adhesives have been used they have failed to adequately secure or lock the carpet in a complete and neat at position attributable to many reasons. invariably, these known types were diflicult to applyy and their subsequent removal or replacement of the carpet covering left unsightly or marred flooring.

lt is an object of my invention to provide a. stairway anchoring strip, preformed, adaptable for easy installation. onk stairways.

Another object is to provide carpet anchoring means that will firmly secure the oor covering and to maintain the carpet in a completely flat position with a minimum of damage and marring to the tread or rises whether of wood, metal, concrete, terrazzo, tile or any kind of stair construction.

A further objective is to provide carpet attaching means which will adequately secure the carpet without nailing through the carpet and into the tread causing mutilation and distortion but instead providing a neat, smooth and even installation with a finished edging` with no Visible means of fastening shown.

Other and further objects of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description thereof, and of one form of the apparatus which may be employed to practice the invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective of my stairway anchor edge before final forming.

Figure 2 is a similar fragmentary perspective view showing the stairway anchor ready for installation.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional View showing the application of carpeting to the anchor fastener.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective View of a modification.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showing one of the hook-like prongs in engagement with the rings of the carpet.

In the drawings where like reference characters denote like parts, the numeral refers to the main portion adapted to be bent or folded into a right angle providing the upper vertical portion 12 and the lower horizontal portion 14 when folded on the line 16. The remaining vertical portion has been bent inwardly of the formed angle to provide a right angular shoulder portion 18 with the continuation 20 formed to slant away from the connecting shoulder portion 18 and having a ilange turned reversely to that of the shoulder 18. Similarly, the horizontal portion 14 has been folded upwardly to form the shoulder 24 and the inwardly slanting outer horizontal portion 26 being similarly provided with a downwardly depending flange. In addition to other objectives, this construction enables the workman to install the strip without regard to top or bottom.

Two parallel rows of perforations 30 are formed in the lower vertical section while similar rows of perforations 32 have been made in the lower horizontal section 14. These apertures are for permitting attachment to the crotches of the stairway subsequent to the application of suitable adhesive along these portions of the stairs, In application, the adhesive tends to fill in these apertures and when dry, provide key locks to firmly secure the anchor strip to the stairs.

Additional securing means have been provided where it becomes necessary because of the moving of heavy objects or furniture up and down the stairway. To accomplish this particular sturdy attachment, large spaced beveled openings 34 and 36 have been made in the vertical and horizontal portions 20 and 26 for the insertion of nails or screws.

Double parallel rows of spaced prongs or hooks 38 have been punched from the vertical section 20 while similiar hook-like members 40 have been formed from the outer horizontal section 26, these hooks face toward each other for a purpose to be later explained. It is to be noted that the outer flanges 22 and 28 are slightly higher than the shoulders 18 and 24 to cause the upper and outer sections 20 and 26 to slant inwardly toward the crotch of the anchor' attachment. The purpose of this construction is to provide a semi-level tread sloping slightly downwardly toward the crotch, as does that comparable section of the vertical portion 20 to maintain the installed carpet with a neat, right angular finish at the fold where the carpet bends to extend up the riser. The fold is adapted to compress within the pocket or defined area between the right angularly disposed shoulders but when in place the nap of the carpet tends to create a right angle at the junction 41 indicated in Figure 3.

As previously stated, the additional means for securing the anchor trim to the stairway is provided by the beveled apertures 34 and 35 for nailing to wooden floors with nails, or in the event of concrete, with case hardened nails. In the case of marble or terrazzo construction, companion holes are drilled and lead cores are inscribed to which wood or metal screws are applied.

ln application, the anchor strip is positioned in the stairway crotch of each rise and tread where a suitable adhesive has been previously applied. This adhesive which has Worked itself into the perforations and around the corners will, when dry, completely lock the anchor in position. After the adhesive has set, the carpet, as indicated in Figure 3 is pulled up from the iioor or preceding rise in parallel relationship with the stair edges across the horizontal section 26 where the warp of the carpet becomes engaged by the double row of prongs or hooks 38 and 4i?. It is to be noticed that each row of slightly curved hooks or prongs face inwardly toward the crotch which insures complete attachment and eliminates subsequent dislodgement due to trailic on the stairs and further maintains the carpet in neat-right angular relationship with the resultant elimination of customary bulging and crimping.

In the modification shown in Figure 4 I have provided a relatively light weight anchoring means, preferably of extended aluminum alloy, easily adapted for installation in residences and commercial stairways where the traffic is lighter and a margin of flooring is customarily left at each side of the stair runner. This anchor strip may be secured by nails or screws and is capable of applica tion to other than wooden flooring such as marble, concrete, terrazzo or other hard surfaces after drilling and insertion of lead plugging.

This light weight anchor trim formed by pressing or other means has converging or inwardly and downwardly facing opposed flat surfaces 46 and 48, each provided with outwardly extending flanges Sil and 52. An acute or reentrant angle 57 is formed by the junction of these two surfaces and as in the preferred form, and parallel spaced rows of arcuate or slightly curved hooks or prongs arc forced from the two sections, Similarly a row of spaced beveled apertures 58 and 60 are formed in each of these sections 46 and 48. As opposed from the attaching means provided in the previous views, this anchor trim is secured by nails and screws inserted in these openings into the rises and treads.

These reversible anchor trims, similar to the preferred form are adapted to be snugly and securely drawn against the rises and treads of the stairs. It is to be further noticed that these surfaces 46 and 4S, because of their slanting inwardly and downwardly toward the crotch, will tend to present a very definite right angular position of the carpet at its fold, similarly to the effect caused by the construction of the crotch in Figure 3.

lt is to be observed that the reversible anchor trims are formed from a blank, as shown in Figure l, and comprises a central strip having up-set sections 20 and 26 connected by flanges or shoulders 1S and 24 with additional flanges 22 and 28 positioned downwardly on their ends. The central strip 1t) is scored at 16 to facilitate bending presenting the complete anchor strip that is shown in Figure 2.

The carpet is attached to the anchor strip by first bringing it over the flange 52 from the floor or preceding rise for attachment to the parallel rows of spaced prongs or hooks 56. Subsequent to proper adjustment or parallel positioning at the fold, the carpet is then brought up over the opposed facing hooks 54 in the section 46 where the warp of the carpet is engaged and then up the succeeding rises and treads. Obviously, at the top of the stairway, the carpet, where terminated, may be appropriately secured by an anchor edging such as described in my Patent No, 2,731,660.

An enlarged sectional View is shown in Figure 5 to more accurately define the hook-like prongs 38 forced out of the metal of strip 2t).

Although I have described the illustrated embodiments of my invention in Considerable detail, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that modifications and variations may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention. The various forms may be modilied or changed to meet conditions, but basically the subject disclosure only broadly rellects this development. I do not, therefore, wish to be limited to the specific embodiments of my invention shown and described herein, but claim as my invention all modifications coming within the scope and purview of the appended claims.

What is claimed is: Y

l. A unitary stairway carpet fastener adapter to be secured in the crotch of a stairway comprising reversible converging generally vertical and horizontal sections, each of said sections comprising an outer portion lying at a different level from an inner portion and interconnccted by a flange, another flange located at the outer edge of each of said sections terminating in the same plane as the vertical and horizontal portions, both flanges being of such a length and so directed that the outer portions of said sections are slanted toward and lie within the included re-entrant angle of the converging sections, and carpet engaging hooks formed in the outer portions of said sections.

2. A unitary stairway carpet fastener adapted to be secured in the crotch of a stairway comprising reversible converging generally vertical and horizontal sections, each of said sections comprising an outer portion lying at a different level from an inner portion and interconnected by a flange, another flange located at the outer edge of said sections terminating in the same plane as the vertical and horizontal portions, the flanges being of such length and so directed that the outer portions of said sections are slanted toward and lie within the included re-entrant angle of the converging sections, said sections having apertures formed in each of the inner portions whereby an adhesive applied to the under surfaces of each of the inner portions will seep therein, said sections having openings formed in the outer portions whereby said sections may be secured to the riser and tread of a stairway, said converging sections so arranged as to receive the fold of a carpet within said re-entrant angle and presenting a right angular outward appearance to a carpet secured therein.

3. A blank for a stairway carpet fastener comprising a strip having up-set sections interconnected with flanges on either edge of said strip, downwardly extending flanges on either end of said up-set sections approximately parallel to said first mentioned flanges, said strip being scored centrally thereof, said downwardly extending flanges being of a height slightly in excess of that of the first mentioned flanges, carpet engaging hooks formed in the outer surfaces of said up-set sections, said strip adapted to be bent at right angles whereby said up-set sections will be slanted toward and lie within the included re-entrant angle formed by said bent right angular strip sections.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 587,633 Adams Aug. 3, 1897 888,713 Kingston May 26, 1908 1,770,215 McIntyre July 8, 1930 1,958,274 MacNab May 8, 1934 2,587,836 Goodemoot Mar. 4, 1952 2,599,580 Paterson et al June 10, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 501,663 Great Britain Mar. 3, 1939 

